Exploring the Impact of Environmental Factors on Fermentation Trends: A Google Trends Analysis from 2020 to 20241

Purpose: This study analyzes factors influencing public interest in fermentation using Google search trends. Specifically, it examines how key elements such as oxygen, temperature, time, and pH influence fermentation-0related searches from December 2020 to September 2024. Research design, data and methodology: Data from Google Trends was collected under the Beauty & Fitness category for the terms “Fermentation,” “Oxygen,” “Temperature,” “Time,” and “pH.” Time series analysis was used to track trends over four years, and a correlation analysis was conducted to assess the relationships between these terms. A linear regression model was built to determine the influence of each factor on fermentation-related searches. The dataset was split into 80% training data and 20% testing data for model validation. Results: The correlation analysis indicated moderate positive relationships between fermentation-related searches and both time and pH, while oxygen had little to no correlation. The regression model showed that time and pH were the strongest influencers of fermentation interest, explaining 25% of the variance (R-squared = 0.25). Oxygen and temperature had minimal impact in predicting fermentation-related search interest. Conclusions: Time and pH are significant factors influencing public interest in fermentation-related topics, as shown by search trends. In contrast, oxygen and temperature, while important in the fermentation process itself, did not strongly affect public search behavior. These findings provide valuable insights for businesses and researchers looking to better understand consumer interest in fermentation products.